UWI Open Campus, Consular Corps of Jamaica sign MOU

The University of the West Indies (UWI) Open Campus and the Consular Corps of Jamaica have signed a formal memorandum of understanding (MOU) to develop capacity building in international trade and investment and other cooperative agreements.

The MOU was signed during the quarterly luncheon of the Consular Corps of Jamaica, on July 23 at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel, New Kingston by pro-vice-Chancellor and principal of The UWI Open Campus, Dr Luz Longsworth, and dean of Consular Corps of Jamaica, Robert Scott.

The agreement aims to facilitate collaboration with the Consular Corps of Jamaica to build capacity through a webinar series on ’International Trade and Investments in Global Markets’. It will also build alliances with the Consular Corps and respective sending states to facilitate cooperative agreements across the globe involving, but not limited to, student exchange, staff exchange or mobility agreements, research, and joint programming.

According to Scott, “this MOU was a historic first for the Corps that, as it is executed, will redound to the benefit of Jamaicans”, noting that it is indeed a proud moment.

Keynote speaker at the event, Ambassador Dr Richard Bernal, pro-vice-chancellor, Office of Global Affairs at The UWI, spoke about the Consular Corps as an indispensable supplement to the Diplomatic Corps and its importance in small countries. He said the “small countries cannot afford fully staffed diplomatic missions in as many locations as is needed, therefore, the Consular Corps can provide an invaluable outreach mechanism. Similarly, small countries are not often afforded diplomatic level representation except by a few large, developed countries, hence an expanded Consular Corps can provide representation for countries who cannot afford a full diplomatic Mission”.

Longsworth, in her remarks, noted that, “this MOU with the Consular Corps of Jamaica will expand the relationship between The UWI Open Campus and many of the represented countries. This is in full synchrony with the UWI’s Triple A Strategic Plan which focuses on Access, Agility and Alignment.”